The Reunion
by Eccentrically Peculiar
Summary: What if Lily gave Severus a chance to make things right between them? What if they reconnected sometime in their seventh year at Hogwarts? Would their friendship turn into something more?
1. New Beginnings

_**((DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or JK. Rowling's characters. I simply enjoy writing about them, dabbling with them, honing in on how I percieve them, and just generally creating my own alternate plot lines for them. I have role played as Severus since last year and am obsessed with giving him a happy ending, since his life in the canon source was a tragedy. This is rated T because I'm not sure what's to come and want to give myself wiggle room to play around with.)) **_

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><p>It all began with a note. Lily had been on Severus' mind constantly since their friendship had ended fifth year. It was now the beginning of their Seventh year at Hogwarts and Severus still could not get her off of his mind. The poor lad was riddled with regret and read as often as he could, to keep from dwelling on things he could not change, no matter how much he wished he could. Still, he could not keep his mind from wandering to thoughts of a certain Lily Evans. It was his inability to get Lily off of his mind that motivated Severus to draft the letter in the first place.<p>

He had long since given up on apologizing, since nothing he said seemed to be able to erase the hurt he had caused her. Slytherins were known for their ambition, a quality which often comes hand in hand with persistence, but Severus was nothing like James Potter; he could tell when someone wanted nothing to do with him. It was because of this that the aforementioned letter almost was not sent. Severus had hastily scrawled the note on a scrap leaf of paper and was about to toss it into the fireplace of the Slytherin common room, like he had done with the many other letters he had written her and ultimately decided not to send. However, he somehow decided to make one last effort at attempting to make things up to Lily. He sighed, since he knew that the gesture he was about to make would be futile. Still, he languidly rose from the carved armchair in which he sat and made his way up to the owlry to have a carrier owl deliver the following letter:

_Dear Lily,_

_I am still remorseful about what happened fifth year. I miss you a lot and was wondering if-err-hoping that we could put the past behind us and do something together sometime soon. I am sure we have lots of catching up to do. Maybe we could meet up near the bank of the Black Lake on Saturday, around lunch time, and have a picnic? I'll take care of everything and I promise that it will be fun. Seriously, I will do everything I can to make sure you have a good time. Of course you're more than welcome to bring a friend along as well; just be sure to let me know, so I can make sure there will be enough food for everyone. Oh, and there isn't any need to worry; if you do decide to bring someone I promise to be polite._

_-Sev_

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><p>What Severus did not expect was the letter Lily sent in return. He had assumed that she would ignore his last ditch effort at reconnecting, and was very surprised by the owl fluttering above him. Still, the fickle fates -or more likely the very redheaded Gryffindor he was trying to make amends with- had determined that the handwritten message was satisfactory. Consequently, it was not long after he had sent his letter before he was garnered with a response. Sev hastily pried Lily's reply out from its envelope, even though he expected only a succinct rejection of his invitation.<p>

Imagine the look of shock on his normally composed and stoic face when he read a letter that spoke not of rejection but of planning to meet him for the very date and time he had suggested. He allotted himself a small smile as he read Lily's words, even though he knew that it was still possible their meeting would not go well, or that Lily could stand him up last minute.

Lily made it very clear that his second chance was only on a trial basis, and stated that if their reunion did not go well then that would be that. Even so Severus felt very lucky. He had went into the situation with no expectations, and acknowledged that he had received something he did not even deserve. Lily did not intend to bring anyone else along, something Severus had deduced she would say in the event that she did decide to come; this was an inference based solely upon the history between him and said friends. He had only made the offer in the first place, because quite frankly, Slytherins were rather skilled at cunning. He knew that if he extended the invitation to one of her Gryffindor friends as well, she would see how serious he was about wanting to make things right. Also, he knew that such an offer would help to dispel any discomfort the idea of seeing him again might give her.


	2. Purposeful Anxiety

Severus had been uncharacteristically excited for the entire rest of the week after he had sent Lily an owl suggesting that they get together on Saturday and have a picnic, because she had actually agreed to the idea. Severus had missed Lily ever since that infamously fateful day during fifth year, and had sent her the owl in one last attempt at making things right. Contentment had spread through him ever since their conversation by owl.

Still, this isn't to say that Severus expected things to go well. Severus had trained himself to always be prepared for the worst possible outcome to every situation. A compilation of life experiences had caused the young man to think in a manner that Severus considered realistic, but most people would consider cynical or pessimistic. Even so, he was allowing himself to tentatively hope that things would go well. Hope was something that Severus had given up on feeling and so it was a very strange sensation when hopeful thoughts flooded his mind.

He was almost reluctant to allow himself to indulge in the feeling because he feared disappointment, but he was able to cancel out the reluctance by meticulously planning, so that he could be sure everything would go well. Severus had even made the effort to get a decent night's sleep on Friday evening, despite the fact that it required taking a dreamless sleep potion, an action towards which he felt rather adverse.

Now, the day the Slytherin had been so looking forward to, had finally come. After going through his normal morning routine, Severus grabbed the picnic blanket that he intended to set out for the occasion and made the trip down to the Hogwarts kitchens. Then, with the willing help of the Hogwarts house elves; he gathered food into the picnic basket he had also managed to acquire.

After that, he casually yet purposefully strolled through the Hogwarts hallways, with the basket and blanket in hand. He managed to obtain two incredulous stares from a pair of first years who were obviously not expecting to see a seventh year Slytherin headed outside of the dungeons, much less the castle, to enjoy a picnic. He was able to keep them from uttering any comments they may have considered making by fixing a stern glare upon them both. His good mood and decrease in bitterness was evidenced by the fact that he kept walking and refrained from intimidating or teasing the first years, even when they began to snigger, apparently unable to hold in their mirth. In fact, he had not called anyone a dunderhead all day and it was nearly noon. He had more important things to focus on.

It was not much longer before Severus reached the designated spot at which he would meet Lily. He had decided to meet her at the rolling turf of grass, by the Black Lake, rather than anywhere else on the Hogwarts grounds because the place held good memories. It was a spot that Severus and Lily used to visit together frequently, back when their friendship had still been going strong.

He laid out the picnic blanket and set the basket, that contained the food he and Lily would eat, in the very middle of the area covered by blanket. The blanket was for Lily's benefit since Severus knew that it would be more comfortable than simply sitting on grass. He had timed it so that he would arrive well before she did, -but not so early that the food would get cold- so that he could be sure everything would be already set up when Lily found their spot.

Severus waited anxiously for Lily's figure to appear in the distance so that he could stop worrying over whether or not she would show up. This anxiousness was not a product of mistrust directed at Lily, but rather because Severus would not blame her if she had second thoughts and decided not to come. He stood while he waited for her so that he would be ready to greet Lily, rather than simply sitting down and making himself comfortable. Severus was terrified of offending Lily once more and so he silently reminded himself to choose his words carefully and consider how something would sound before he said it aloud.

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><p><em>((<strong>AN:<strong> In the next chapter you'll get to find out whether or not Lily actually shows up!))_


	3. A Precarious Place To Dwell

Though Severus was not prone to showing emotion he breathed a gigantic sigh of relief when he saw Lily approaching.

**"Lily… you're here!"** Severus observed when she was within ear shot, with what he hoped looked like a friendly grin affixed upon his face. Severus was not normally one to state the obvious, but he needed to voice the fact aloud so that he could affirm it in his head. He did not even bother to keep the excited tone out of voice, since the fact that he had instigated the meeting already served to show that he had missed her, and instead allowed for his voice to display the emotion he felt.

Severus waited to sit down until after Lily did so, and then followed her lead hastily, because he felt the need to be polite.

Sev listened as Lily told him that she had been unsure over whether or not she should meet him for lunch.

When she told Severus that she had ultimately decided not to hurt him, wordlessly alluding to how he had hurt her fifth year, he was instantly appreciative of how kind a soul Lily Evans was. She never ceased to amaze the snarky Slytherin with her morality, integrity, and goodness. In some ways she was Severus' complete opposite, but that only served to make her all the more fascinating. For one, she did not care for retribution, at least not for her own sake. Do not get me wrong though, Lily made a point of staunchly defending her friends.

**"Thank you for coming,"** he responded quietly, his words conveying a sort of humble gratefulness. As he spoke, Severus looked at Lily with a gaze that was probably hard to decipher, but could only be properly described as one of sheer adoration. It was as if all the coldness his ebony stare typically held had simply melted away and been replaced with a tender warmth.

Severus frowned when Lily apologized for being late, since he did not want her feeling any sort of negative emotion on his behalf. Lily had nothing to feel guilty for; at least not in Sev's point of view.

**"It's okay; I was not waiting for very long,"** he lied for her benefit. In fact, since Severus had chosen to arrive early, the exact opposite of this statement was true. Still Severus knew that it was best if Lily did not know how acutely aware he had been of each minute that had ticked by; he was much too guarded to allow himself to risk sounding pathetic.

Severus paused for a moment before making one more comment on the remark, this one truer than the other, **"What matters is that you are here now."**

Lily stated that she was not sure what else to say and Severus nodded, understanding the sentiment entirely.

**"I'm not sure where to begin either; so much has changed since we last spent time together,"** Severus acknowledged.

Of course Severus had replayed the incident that transpired in his fifth year at Hogwarts over and over in his mind, thinking of other, better ways the situation could and should have played out. However, even throughout all of his many apology attempts he had not allowed himself to expect a second chance. He was far too practical to allow himself to fully hope for something if he felt that his hopes would only inevitably be crushed. He hadn't given himself the liberty of considering what he would say to Lily if she did; in fact, give him a second chance. He had always believed that the scenario was so unlikely that it was not even worth dedicating brain space to the situation.

When Lily did actually agree to meet Severus by the great lake he had spent his time planning everything but what would be said. Looking back, he supposed that he had assumed that conversation would flow naturally. In the face of such an awkward reunion, such a supposition now seemed quite foolish.

**"We could eat first and then talk, if you want, so that the food doesn't get cold,"** he suggested, trying to buy some time so that they could gather their thoughts.

Eventually, after dining in one another's company, the duo got over their nervousness and was able to have a simple conversation.

Their starter topic was about O.W.L. scores.

**"I received 'Outstanding' marks in all of my subjects, with the exception of Care of Magical Creatures. I got an 'Exceeds Expectations' in that class,"** Severus explained. He had never been great with animals, but had managed to get an 'Exceeds Expectations' on that particular o.w.l after much hard work and studying.

Lily had always been brainy, and had even been picked as one of Slughorn's favored few. **"I received very high marks in all of my classes as well, especially in potions and charms since they are my two best subjects,"** Lily contributed to the conversation, by way of response.

**"How did the career counseling meeting with your head of house go?"** Lily inquired politely, referring to an event that would have taken place in their fifth year at Hogwarts, but after their massive falling out.

**"It went well. I established that I either want to open my own potions shop or work in the Department of Mysteries, for the Ministry. Most likely, I'll have to work in the Department of Mysteries first, so I can build up the funds to open my own shop."** Severus responded. He was nothing if not shrewd, and had begun to consider the matter well before the mandatory meeting.

**"How did your meeting go?"** he queried in return.

**"It went nicely. I decided that I want to be an Auror for the Ministry, so that I can protect and help others as best as I can. The job will certainly keep me on my toes,"** Lily responded with a bright smile, her green eyes alight with excitment.

Severus nodded, though his complexion became even paler than usual. He did not like the thought of Lily throwing herself in harm's way even one tiny bit.

**"Isn't that dangerous?"** he reasoned logically.

**"Isn't everything?"** Lily retorted, shrugging off his concern in her typical care free manner.

**"How have you spent the last two years, Severus?"** Lily asked, changing the subject.

**"Things have remained pretty much the same, boring even,"** he responded, neglecting to tell her just how lonely he had felt without her in his life.

**"I've been brewing lots of potions and doing quite a bit of reading,"** he mentioned instead.

**"Would you like to have your potions partner and study buddy back?"** she questioned with a small smile, as she tucked a strand of her coppery red hair neatly behind her ear.

She had now decided she was open to spending time around Severus in the future, based on the relatively smooth manner in which their current interaction was going. Plus, she had missed him as well, and a great deal more than her stubborn nature would allow for her to admit.

**"Of course, I'd like that very much,"** he answered, glad that Lily was willing to reintegrate herself into his life.

He then turned Lily's question back on her and asked her how she had spent the previous two years.

Lily responded by telling him about the adventures and she had engaged in with Mary McDonald and the other girls in Gryffindor house.

Such stories were met with worried expressions from her more cautious Slytherin friend.

**"Aside from socializing, I've been doing a lot of reading as well, and studying, of course,"** she added.

Truthfully, unlike Severus, she had not brewed many potions outside of class. Severus and Lily had always made a perfect pair when it came to concocting potions together. Severus had always been the one who took the innovative approach to potion brewing. While Lily was willing to let to him experiment because his gambles usually turned out alright, since he knew his way around the subject, she was more of a rule follower when it came to attempting recipes on her own. She had found that without Sev around the potion brewing process was mundane. She had grown to miss the bubble of chatter, playful banter, and laughter that usually surrounded any cauldron they stood over together.

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><p>Lily and Severus made small talk like this for a while, getting reacquainted with one another but being careful not to talk about anything too serious. Their friendship was just in the beginning stages of renewal. This was quite a precarious place for any relationship to dwell, and so they were both careful not to talk about anything that may get too heated and be inadvertently offensive. They spent the rest of the lazy afternoon leisurely relaxing out in the sunlight, and catching up with one another.<p>

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><p><em>((<strong>AN:<strong> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I tried to incorporate lots of dialogue into it, per the suggestion of JupiterJack567. I highly treasure all of the reviews this fan fic has garnered so far, and I want to let everyone know that I plan on trying to do more with the plot than make it simply fluff. The next chapter is going to focus mainly on Lily and another character-feel free to guess who you think it will be- and will cause some minor drama that will feed into a few of the chapters that follow.))_


	4. The Fight To End All Fights

_**((DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains some mild profanity towards the very end! I advise you not read this if you are made extremely uncomfortable by that sort of thing.))**_

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><p>Eventually the sun began to set and Lily and Severus had to disband. This was one of the many inconveniences that being sorted into different houses had wrought upon them. Severus fluidly made his way down to the spooky and beautiful dungeon common room that the Slytherins shared, and freshly fallen leaves crunched under Lily's feet like confetti, as she began her journey in the direction of the red and gold adorned Gryffindor common room.<p>

Lily's thoughts were full of optimism. Her meeting with Severus had gone much better than she had expected and she was trying to reimagine her future now that she was certain he would be in it once more. It felt a bit surreal for Lily to finally allow herself to consider such a notion after she had carefully avoided her best friend for so long.

Soon, Lily's stroll from the Hogwarts grounds led her into a suit of armor lined corridor of the school, which in turn led her to the Gryffindor common room. **"Neutiquam erro,"** she intoned, speaking the current designated password. The vibrantly colored portrait of the fat lady swung open, and hardly a moment passed after Lily entered the brightly lit and welcoming common room before James approached her.

**"Where have you been; I haven't seen you all day?"** he inquired curiously, a bit of concern sneaking its way into his voice.

Lily smiled, finding it cute that he cared enough about her to worry. **"I spent the day with an old friend. We had lunch together by the Black Lake and spent the rest of the day catching up, since we hadn't conversed with one another in a while,"** she responded.

**"We didn't have plans, did we?"** she queried in return. She recollected that she had been very careful not to over schedule herself, but asked the question so that she could be confident that she was in the clear.

**"Huh? Oh, no. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright,"** he answered, squelching the doubt that had begun to form in Lily's mind.

**"How did it go?"** he added, sounding politely interested.

**"It went very well, actually,"** Lily reflected with a small smile. **"Much better than I expected. At first I didn't even want to go, but now I'm glad that-"**

She paused for a moment, stopping midsentence as if she was considering whether or not it would be wise to finish the thought. She quickly decided that there was no reason she shouldn't be upfront about the situation. James had proven to her that he was capable of being mature, which was why she was currently dating him, and so she did not have to worry about him going off and taunting Severus out of jealousy... right?

**"I gave Severus a second chance,"** she finished.

James had the audacity to burst out with, **"That greasy git? But he called you, well, you know!"** This was quite possibly the worst possible thing he could have said at this given instant in time.

**"James Alexander Potter, are you questioning my judgment? Because it sounds like you are!"** Lily chastised furiously. **"Sev is not a greasy git and I will not have you refer to him as such! He has been my best friend since childhood and yes, we didn't talk for a few years, but we're past that now,"** she elaborated, her voice coated in hissed anger since she was trying to be quiet, so as not to generate a scene and receive stares from her housemates.

Lily was shocked at how she glided easily back into the old habit of defending Severus against those who were too blind to see what she saw in him. Lily had never considered this, but perhaps the others weren't blind. Severus was very reserved and it was extremely possible Lily Evans was one of the very few people Severus deemed worthy of opening up to. It took a lot of time to get past the snarky Slytherin's defenses, and most people simply weren't patient enough to do so.

**"I didn't want to get into this with you, but now that you've lead the discussion here, I will,"** Lily prefaced, before James could even utter a word.

She cast a glance his way that served its purpose and deterred him from interjecting before she could make her point.

**"I've had an extensive amount of time to consider what happened and put it into perspective, which is why I agreed to meet him in the first place. He has apologized for that particular incident so many times that I've lost count, and in one of his apology attempts he was entirely prepared to camp outside the portrait until I came out and talked to him. That was quite possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. It was remarkably brave as well, considering it meant that he willingly put himself at risk for being teased -no, teased is an understatement- bullied by you and your mates. When he said what he did, though he shouldn't have, there were extenuating circumstances leading up to that event. You and the other Marauders utterly humiliated him in front of a pretty sizeable audience. I know that had I been in his place, I wouldn't have been thinking clearly either. And if I'm being frank, I handled the situation rather immaturely. Instead of just walking away, which would have been the responsible thing to do; I lashed out at him in return,"** she countered.

**"I'm sorry Lily. I didn't mean to upset you; I had no idea you felt that strongly about the situation,"** James responded, attempting to placate Lily. Everyone knew that there was no use quarrelling with her when she got worked up about something, like she currently was. Even James Potter knew better than to test his luck.

**"I think you meant every word. You're just attempting to appease me with a hollow apology. I thought you had changed for the better, but I seem to have been too hasty in my verdict,"** she retorted obstinately.

**"Listen Lils, I have changed; it was wrong of me to say; it just slipped out,"** James added, attempting to convince her that he was serious.

Lily was the only person around to appreciate the irony in James' words. It was eerily reminiscent of what Sev had said to her after calling her the dreadful 'M' word.

**"Get to know him then,"** Lily insisted, aiming to gauge just how serious James Potter was.

**"What? Lily, that's crazy. He doesn't like me any more than I like him."**

**"That's what I thought,**" Lily responded matter of factly, as she began walking in the direction of the girl's dormitory, a threshold through which James would not be able to follow her. She needed some time to herself. Otherwise, she was going to say something from which there was no coming back. She was afraid to make a remark she would regret.

**"Lily, wait."**

She sighed in exasperation. **"What is it James?"** she called softly, a distinct tone of frustration layering her voice.

**"It might sound silly, but this isn't about my distaste for Snivel-err-Severus,"** he began. **"It's just that the event you described, well, it sounded like a date,"** he finished, looking down at the floor as if he was embarrassed to admit what he was truly troubled over.

**"Oh, James, grow up,"** She vented. **"Do you really not trust me?"** she probed, feeling hurt.

**"It's not you I don't trust,"** he comforted evenly.

**"You seriously think I'm some naïve damsel who is easily led astray? That is completely ridiculous!"** Lily responded incredulously, in the same hushed tone of voice as before.

**"That's not what I meant; it's just that I would prefer if you didn't spend time around him,"** James interrupted.

**"Sev and I are just friends. Our relationship is strictly platonic! He'd tell you the same thing; he doesn't feel any differently than I do,"** Lily rationalized, having always believed this up until now, but somehow not quite convincing herself enough to get that silhouette of doubt out from inside her brain.

Though Lily and Severus had always been strictly friends, Lily had begun to crush on her best friend sometime in her third year at Hogwarts. And why wouldn't she? Sev was the one person who had been by her side since her pre-Hogwarts days. He also managed to intellectually stimulate her, which was one of Lily Evan's criterions when it came to finding her perfect match.

At the time she hadn't understood what she was feeling, and was still in denial over it to some degree, as that fateful day in fifth year had sent her readiness to entertain such feelings crashing to a halt. In fact, such thoughts were what had caused her best friend's words to sting so much. Still, Lily was quite certain that he had never felt the same way about her. Severus was cagey and though she knew him better than anyone else did, there were still major pieces of information about his life that she wasn't privy to. Plus, she had never been given any indication that Severus was the romantic type. In fact, Lily was fairly certain that, in the past, had she ever confessed to him about her childish crush, he would have laughed at her.

**"Yeah right,"** James declared sarcastically, **"You might be oblivious to it, but I've seen the way he looks at you!"**

_'What is he talking about?_' Lily contemplated, confused, as she paused for a minute. _'Could Sev really feel that way about me?_'

**"You can't be so damn possessive! If I want to have friendships then, bloody Hell, I will. If you are going to try to prevent me from forging friendships, then maybe we shouldn't be together anymore. I certainly don't want to go out with someone who puts limits on whom I'm allowed to spend time around,"** she added, ending the disagreement and stalking off in the direction of the library; Lily always threw herself into her studies when she was upset about something.

On the walk to her destination, she recalled carefully her words to James and realized that she owed Sev an apology. He had been in the wrong, but so had she. Lily allowed for the thought to fill her brain and make her humble.

She also considered just how short lived her relationship with James had been. The only reason she had originally given him a chance to prove himself was because she had been playing truth or dare with the other Gryffindor girls and had been dared to do so. Since their first date she had begun to feel a stirring of something for James, but she was not devastated by their recent breakup. Truth be told, she felt a little relieved. She and James had never really gotten along, and it was rather inauspicious for the future if a young duo already fought like an old married couple. No, it was much better to be with someone with whom you actually got along and shared similar interests with. Still, she couldn't help but worry that James might blame Sev for their break up and go back to treating him like he had in the days before he had decided to prove his maturity to Lily.

Lily finally reached the library and found a cozy little nook to occupy. She grabbed an interesting book from one of the numerous bookshelves that lined the grand room's walls and proceeded to sit down on a brown, leather winged backed chair. On opposite sides of the chair sat two matching round end tables. They looked like stereotypically antique pieces of furniture; the tables were ornate and had clawed feet, like any self respecting piece of old furniture. Lily curled herself up into a ball, in the chair, and began to read. However, she couldn't seem to concentrate. Instead, she found herself accioing a quill pen and parchment paper. Soon she was writing a note in her most striking script:

_Sev,_

_I had a great day with you. We should do something together again sometime soon. There are a couple of things I need to tell you._

_-Lily_

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><p>After writing the message, Lily found herself on her way to the owlry to deliver it.<p>

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><p><em>((<strong>AN:<strong> I'm excited that I recently recieved my fourth review on this fan-fic from RedStalkingDeath! The reviews are what keep me going; I absolutely love hearing everyone's feedback on my writing! Does anyone know what the latin phrase I used for the password to the Gryffindor common room means? If you guess correctly, I'll mention your fanfiction username in the author's note of my next chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I put a lot of hard work into it because I had to write it twice. My first draft got deleted from my computer. It turned out alright though because the first draft wasn't finished and my characterization for James from the first time around was extremely off. I hope I made him seem more believable the second time around. I'm a bit of a James Potter hater and this probably showed through in my writing, but it doesn't seem nearly as biased as what I first wrote. I did use some phrasing and snippets of dialogue from the rough draft but I constructed and ordered it together differently. Anyway, I haven't been writing about Lily for nearly as long as I've been writing about Severus, but I think I'm getting a grip on how I percieve her. Don't forget to review if you read this; I try to reply to all of my reviews. BTW, the idea of Lily giving James a chance because of a dare came from an essay called "Marauder Era Ships: Which Ones Sailed?", by hpboy13 of the Harry Potter Lexicon. It inspired me, and I borrowed the idea and ran with it.))_


	5. Practical Promises

Severus responded to Lily's letter rather rapidly and they made plans to meet again the next day. This time their elected meeting place was on a surprisingly comfortable stone bench. This bench was located in one of the lush and beautiful flower gardens that graced Hogwarts' impressive landscape. Such gardens were meticulously taken care of by the Hogwarts Groundskeeper. In contrast to their first meeting, Lily was the first to arrive. She was also every bit as anxious as Severus had been the first time around.

She had quite a bit to tell him, and the discussion that was going to occur was one she wished that there was no need to have. She knew that she needed to phrase things very delicately since their re-acquaintance was still on a trial basis. For all she knew, Severus might listen to what she had to say and decide, through a process of some sort of Slytherin logic based entirely around self preservation, that having her back in his life was not worth the drama that may very possibly accompany the decision.

Lily was grateful that she did not have a great span of time to dwell on this before Sev arrived and sat down beside her. She had only turned up a few minutes early, giving herself simply enough time to compose herself and her thoughts.

**"Hullo Severus, it's nice to see you,"** she greeted with a small smile, which Sev eagerly returned.

Lily was tenser than she was letting on, but there was no reason to start the conversation off on a bad note. She allowed herself to focus on the present moment she was spending with Severus, not on how the later parts of the conversation might play out. Because of this, she payed close attention to how he returned the grin she offered him. Moments such as this one were a part of her friendship with Severus she had always enjoyed. Lily knew that he was not one to smile often, and liked knowing that being around her made him happy.

Their conversation started off rather mundanely. They talked about their classes, the homework their teachers had given, and about the potions project they had been assigned and planned to work on together.

Eventually though, when their chatter began to fade and a silence arose, Severus asked, **"What was it that you wanted to tell me, Lily?"**

She sighed; it was this part of the conversation that had filled her stomach with the leaden feeling of dread, which she had been accosted by on and off all day. She decided that she would start off by saying the easiest part of what needed to be said first; yes, it was best to start with the part of her "speech" that she was not terrified of giving.

**"First of all, I don't want to make you uncomfortable by bringing this up. However, I know that you've apologized for what you said, in our fifth year, multiple times and I want you to know that I do forgive you for it,"** she began.

**"In hindsight, while thinking about the situation I have also come to realize recently that, in retaliation, I lashed out at you and said some things that were equally hurtful. This was hypocritical of me, considering my stance on the matter. I was hurt by what you said, but that was no excuse for hurting you in response. I suppose that I wanted to officially apologize to you because it's the right thing to do, and because you deserve an apology,"** Lily concluded, attempting to bring closure to the strain the situation had put on their attempts to reconnect.

**"Of course I forgive you; it's alright, Lily. I deserved it,"** Severus replied, as he looked away from Lily, in a tone so quiet she was barely able to hear him.

**"Sev, it breaks my heart to hear you say that. It truly was not alright. You deserve, not that, but the absolute best. I really hope you didn't mean what you said to the extent that I fear you may have. You have no reason to be self loathing; don't let other people define who you are, only your choices can do that,"** Lily responded miserably, a look of perfect penance positioned across her heart shaped face. She felt partially responsible for the new mentality Severus seemed to have taken up.

**"Come here,"** she beckoned, wrapping her friend in a comforting and affectionate hug. Severus inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet scent of the floral perfume that corresponded nicely with her name.

**"Lily, I didn't mean-"** Severus began, as they withdrew from one another's arms, his temporarily lowered guard being raised once more to the immensely elevated height at which it normally stood.

**"Yes, Sev, I know it's not something you ordinarily would have told me, or anyone for that matter. Even so, there's no need to take it back. I want you to feel like you can come to me and confide in me; I won't judge you ever again. And let me promise you something else as well, in the future, if we ever get into an argument, I promise I won't leave your side until we work things out; preserving our friendship is definitely worth the effort,"** Lily avowed in a calm and gentle tone of voice, interrupting her friend so that he did not feel the need to pretend he had not meant the words that had just come from his own mouth.

This was a promise Lily intended to keep, because she was just as afraid that another falling out lurked in the future of their friendship as Severus was. Lily, like all Gryffindors, was not one to run away from her fears. Because of this, she wouldn't let the fear of getting hurt again prevent her from making things right with Severus. In fact, she was motivated to attempt to solidify their bond and make their friendship stronger the second time around, since taking measures to prevent her fear from coming to fruition seemed more practical than fleeing an opportunity from which good might come.

Severus' typical stony onyx gaze was, for once, replaced with eyes uncharacteristically full of optimism; they seemed devoid of the bitter quality that made them so startling. Lily really did plan on being a constant in his life this time around. He was much too soothed by her hug and her words to finish what he had planned on saying before Lily had interrupted him.

Lily bit her lip, fretful because she understood that now was not the time to tell Severus the rest of what she needed to tell him. She felt obligated to fill him in on what he needed to know, but was afraid of losing the fragile trust that they were both trying so hard to steadily rebuild.

**"In the spirit of total honesty, there's something else I need to tell you, but you have to promise not to hate me for the information I am about to disclose,"** she added, since she was perceptive enough to understand that it would be better if she got what she needed to say out of the way. Lily ran her hands through her hair in a gesture of self consolement as she said this.

**"I could never hate you, Lily,"** stated Severus quickly, seemingly shocked at the mere suggestion.

Lily stared at him for a moment, noticed how serious he looked, and was reassured.

**"Umm… I'm not sure if you are up to date on the school gossip or not, because you were never one to pay attention to such things, but this will be much easier to explain if you are,"** Lily established, by way of prelude.

**"This year a group of the other Gryffindor girls and I were playing the game of truth or dare, where you either answer a question with complete candor, divulging a secret, or are challenged to some daring feat. Impulsively, I chose a dare. Isobel was dating Sirius at the time-they've since broken up because of Sirius' inability to stay in a committed relationship for any great length of time. Anyway, she dared me to go out on a date with James and allow for him to attempt to prove to me that he had actually matured, a task to which she had obviously been put up by the Marauders'-err-James' friends,"** Lily began. She had corrected herself upon using the nickname they had assigned themselves. Being around them so frequently had caused her to use the term affectionately, something that did not fit the current tone of her conversation.

**"I reluctantly followed through on the dare, in the spirit of the game. To make a long story short, James actually did seem to have matured and so we began going out as a couple, for the course of a month,"** Lily added before pausing for a moment. She paused, since she had been talking very swiftly, to catch her breath.

It was during this brief pause that she noticed a grimace on her friend's face. She had been certain that he would disapprove, and possibly even feel betrayed that his best friend had cut him out of her life only to began spending time around his enemy, but she had not expected to see a look of pain on his face. Lily's brow furrowed in confusion. Why did Sev seem so upset? He hadn't said a word yet, but the facial expression, on his usually stoic face, was enough to alert her to how he was feeling. She could not, for the life of her, understand why he was feeling this way. There was no way James had been right about the absurd accusation he had made during their row, had he?

Lily quickly pressed on, subconsciously hoping the words she planned to say next would erase the look of hurt from Sev's features, **"We recently broke up because he thought it was okay tell me with whom I was and was not allowed to spend time, which means that I was wrong in thinking he had matured."**

Curiously enough, the look of hurt on Sev's countenance began to fade, just as Lily had wished it would.

**"The only reason I'm telling you this is because we broke up recently, after I started spending time with you again, because he was acting jealous and controlling, two traits I could not tolerate. Though our break up was clearly not your fault, James has obviously not changed. So I'm afraid that he may use some nonsensical logic that leads to him blaming you and resorting back to treating you the way he did before. I just wanted to let you know so you could be cautious,"** Lily explained.

James had stopped treating Severus terribly while dating Lily, per the redheaded Gryffindor's demands. Lily had her suspicions that now that she and James weren't a couple any longer, his behavior may revert back to how it was before he had attempted to approve to her that he was more responsible.

Lily carefully searched Severus' face for some sort of reaction to this news. Frustratingly, Sev's face was once more blankly devoid of emotion, making his thoughts undecipherable.

**"I understand if you feel that it would be easier to not spend time around me, to avoid any drama that may ensue. I mean, this is sort of my fault. I just didn't think it would matter, once James and I started going out, since you and I hadn't talked for so long,"** Lily added, exhaling noisily, this time irritated with herself for causing the muddle she had involuntarily dragged Severus into.

**"Lily, I've put up with his antics for years. I'm strong enough to continue to do so, especially for your sake,"** Severus responded, causing Lily to wonder what he meant by the last four words tacked onto the statement.

**"What do you mean, Sev?"** she inquired, voicing her question aloud.

**"Simply that I'm not willing to lose you over something so petty,"** he clarified.

The concern that Lily had felt earlier now, for the most part, dissolved. Severus had not been angry with Lily, nor had the news scared him away from her. On the contrary, Severus had been entirely gracious about the situation. In fact, she felt that they had only grown closer as a result of their discussion. Their friendship had officially moved out of the precarious waters in which it had dwelled before.

After the duo finished their first sober talk of the year, they went to the library to start their research for the potions project Professor Slughorn had assigned them. This was the first time they had been partnered together for a potions project since fifth year. However, neither friend wondered how closely their teachers followed students' relationships or how much their professor's knew about their personal lives.

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><p>((<strong>AN: <strong>I have found a wonderful Beta reader! I owe many thanks to SarahLou of for reading this chapter for me and offering up her thoughts on it. My friend, MostKnowing-Squeeblee-Bookworm, -who can also be found on this site- also edited approximately half of this chapter for me and helped me to rephrase things that needed rephrasing, which was very nice. I couldn't resist the urge to make Severus and Lily's relationship seem all adorable like, because that is how I imagine it in my mind's eye. However, SarahLou pointed out that I need to remember to give Sev some of his characteristic snark, which is something I am grateful to be reminded of. MostKnowing-Squeeblee-Bookworm has been giving me snark lessons, since I'm rather unskilled in the art of all things snarky, which will hopefully come in handy later when I attempt to write of Sev's interactions with others. Anyway, since no one figured it out, "Neutiquam erro", the Latin phrase I used for the Gryffindor common room password in the last chapter, literally translates to I am not lost at all. Fitting for a common room password; right?))


	6. Honesty Hour

Lily and Severus worked diligently on their potions project over the period of a couple of weeks. They did everything from researching ingredients, to puzzling out the order and combination, in which they needed to be added and mixed together, and then brewing and re-brewing the potion until finally they were successful and it was brewed to perfection. They felt the need to put extra effort into their project because they both enjoyed the potion brewing process that so many of their peers considered tedious, and also because Slughorn expected great things from them, since they were both in the Slug Club and two of his top students.

They were also very glad to finally be partnered together in potions class again; they always did their best work when they labored harmoniously together over a bubbling cauldron. For their project they had decided to invent a potion that would cause the drinker to voice every thought that flew through his or her head for the duration of an hour. This potion would be immensely useful for psychological healers who were assigned to work with extremely guarded patients. It could also be valuable if one could somehow secretly slip it to an opponent shortly before a Wizard's duel. If one knew which spell their opponent planned to cast before they employed the spell, their adversary would not stand a chance.

Lily and Severus finished their project in a shorter amount of time than they'd expected and they were pleased with their handy-work. There was no way for them to test the potion themselves, since that would leave the test subject utterly vulnerable and with his or her privacy in tatters. However, despite this, they were confident that the potion would have the desired effect.

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><p>Currently Lily and Severus were both eating lunch in the great hall at their houses' respective tables. Isobel and Mary were both attempting to make small talk with Lily, but the emerald eyed witch found that she could not manage to pay attention to their words. Instead she directed her gaze across the great hall towards Severus. Now that they were talking again, she'd been spending as much time around him as she could. She had missed him more than she had even realized and their renewed friendship still had a feeling of freshness attached to it. In the past, after their falling out, Severus had tried and failed to force his eyes to focus anywhere other than the table at which Lily sat. Lily had been more successful at ignoring Severus because she had been practical in deciding to sit with her back facing the Slytherin table to make her task easier.<p>

Now, she was indulging herself, happy that she no longer had to change up her seating arrangement in order to force her stare to fall elsewhere. Severus' liquorice colored eyes met her sparkling green ones and they looked at one another, conversing through head nods and body language alone. That was one of the most excellent parts about their friendship; they knew one another so well that they weren't constrained to just conveying their thoughts through words. This form of non-verbal communication only worked when Severus let his guard down, of course. Lily soon realized from the expression on Sev's face that something was wrong; through intuition she could surmise as much, even though she was located all the way across the dining hall. Severus had a high pain threshold and had never made a big deal about not feeling well in the past, but Lily could tell from the look on his face that something was not right; she just didn't know what could possibly be wrong. The fact in its self was enough to worry her. If Sev was desperate enough to lower his guard in an attempt to send her a message, then dear Merlin, something was undeniably wrong.

Lily turned her concentration back on her friends with the intention of explaining to them why she was going to leave her place at the Gryffindor table and make her way over to the Slytherin one. However, it was apparent that they did not notice that her attention had been engaged elsewhere, since they were still chatting merrily away. Mary abruptly interrupted Isobel from finishing the long winded story she had been telling, to point out to Lily that James was nowhere to be found. Having just broken up with the aforementioned James, in a normal situation Lily would told her friends that she could have cared less where James Potter was.

However, it was too convenient that his whereabouts were unaccounted for when, at least according to her hunch, Severus did not seem to be alright. While dating James, Lily had learned that he possessed an invisibility cloak and she was sure that he was nearby, yet out of sight.

**"Thanks for pointing that out, Mary,"** she said sincerely, without a hint of sarcasm tinting her tone. **"Please excuse me; I'm going to take off. I want to go and see Sev,"** she added, phrasing the words in as casual a manner as she could muster.

Her friends' eyebrows seemed to skyrocket in the most unbecoming manner as the small strips of hair receded into their hairlines. She had not yet filled them in on why her relationship with James had ended, only that it had. **"Sev and I are friends again; I broke up with James because he couldn't handle it,"** she explained, as succinctly as possible, while she stood up from her seat. Her friends were staring at her incredulously, with their mouths gaping open in marble sized circles.

**"Listen, I know that Sev made a few mistakes in the past, but I-I trust him again. I should not have abandoned him, after -well- you know; true friends are there for one another, no matter what,"** she expounded, in an attempt to get her friends to see things through her newly acquired point of view, before parting.

Lily began to make her way across the Great Hall, striving to seem confident on her way to the Slytherin table. It seemed as if the eyes of everyone in the Great Hall were ogling, as if transfixed in her direction. After all, it was not often that a Gryffindor sauntered over to the Slytherin table. Lily's confident façade was all for show; she was mildly worried that she would wind up being hexed, despite the presence of the professors at the staff table. _'Ah, well,'_ she rationalized, _'I can defend myself, if need be.'_ As she neared the long, rectangular table, she walked over to where Sev sat. Lily then grabbed his hand both in an attempt to provide him with comfort, and as a cue for him to follow her out of the great hall. **"What's wrong?"** She asked, as her pace quickened as Sev began to walk with her.

**"The potion, it must be-I've been voicing every thought on my mind for the last five minutes,"** Severus responded, sounding tense. Lily threw a furtive glance backwards towards the Slytherin table and saw that a few of Severus' housemates were still glaring in their direction. She sighed, finding herself frustrated by the situation.

**"You told them exactly what you thought of them, didn't you? I'm guessing that it was less than polite."**

**"You could say that,"** he responded simply, careful to keep his thoughts vague, as they exited the entryway to the Great Hall and walked together, still hand in hand, towards an abandoned classroom. It was as if they'd silently agreed to pass the rest of the time, until the potion wore off, in a secluded location, just the two of them

**"Someone must have slipped it in your pumpkin juice,"** Lily mused aloud, doing her best to channel her friend's thoughts into a less stressful, albeit only slightly, direction. She continued with her own train of thought, though she was already sure who had done it.** "They'd have to be either a Gryffindor or a Slytherin, though I'm leaning towards a fellow Gryffindor, since I'm sure you're too wary to leave your notes lying around. I only left mine for a second. I had to go back to my dormitory to get something, and they were still on the table, where I'd left them, when I came back. I didn't think anyone would be interested in them, but someone obviously read them,"** she added. She paused just for a split second before continuing on in a stern tone.** "Severus, I know how you think, and I need you to promise me that you won't seek retribution against the witch or wizard who is responsible for this. I don't want you going overboard, doing something extreme, and getting in serious trouble because of it. I give you my word that I'll handle the situation myself, okay?"**

**"But I'm stealthy, I'd be sure not to be caught..."** Severus countered, before relenting and giving Lily the verbal response that she wanted, in order to make her happy. **"I promise, Lily,"** he finished, finally.

**"Oh, thank Merlin you agreed. I was afraid you'd be stubborn,"** Lily admitted. To be honest, she had expected her Slytherin friend to put up more of a fight, and was relieved that Sev didn't seem to need much persuading. **"I already have a rather creative idea of how I might handle the situation. Of course, I won't be able to share this idea with you until I've turned it into a concrete plan. It's a surprise, and one I think you'll quite like, at that,"** she teased with a mischievous grin.

Severus arched an eyebrow; Lily had successfully piqued his curiosity. **"You're not going to tell me anything else about it, are you?"** he asked, sure that she wouldn't.

Lily shook her head. **"No, not now, if everything goes according to plan, you'll see for yourself soon enough."**

He studied her silently, instead of thinking up and asking more questions, to which he knew she would only give cryptic answers. **"You are amazing, Lily. Not only did you come when I needed you, but you're also the only person to ever care enough to stick up for me,"** he announced appreciatively, as his thoughts drifted to feelings that he never would have voiced aloud, if not for the influence of the potion.

**"I'm not amazing, Sev; I'm just... me,"** Lily responded, in a manner that straddled the thin line between insecure and modest. "**As for looking out for you, that's nothing. It's what friends are supposed to do for one another. I'm sure you'd do the same for me, if I needed it,"** she responded.

Severus was unable to keep his thoughts from traveling in the direction towards which they were headed. Due to the blasted potion, he also could not keep himself from uttering them audibly. He fought against the compulsion to form his next thought into a sentence, though his efforts proved futile. **"I love you, Lily,"** he confessed, a look of sheer panic crossing his face immediately, as soon as the words left his mouth. Severus immediately began backtracking, since that is where his thoughts took him next. **"I-I did not mean to say that; I would not have said it under normal circumstances, not because it isn't true, but because there's absolutely no way you feel the same. I swear I'm not presumptuous enough to think that you-"**

Lily could tell that Sev was uncharacteristically timid, and personally, she thought he looked adorable that way. She was shocked by his admission, and surprised even further when she immediately and impulsively cut him off by responding with, **"I love you too, Sev, and, to be honest, I don't think you're being presumptuous at all,"** without even thinking about it. _'I've been subconsciously in love with him for a very long time; I just wouldn't admit it to myself,'_ Lily realized. Now that she was no longer lying to herself, she understood that she had only dated James for a distraction. She had been miserable after ending her friendship with Sev, and she had hoped that she could move on and be happy again. It had worked for a temporary period of time, but only so long as Lily ignored the fact that being with James had never truly felt right.

**"Really, Lily?"** Severus queried hesitantly.

**"Of course, Sev. I never say things that I don't mean. Surely you must know that; you've been my friend for long enough that, quite frankly, you should have noticed by now,"** Lily responded, her tone distinctly playful.

Lily watched Severus and noticed as he began to relax. The look on his face was one of disbelief, and it quickly transfigured into one of relief, and then of joy; all the while, Lily wore a wide smile on her face.

**"You know, it really isn't fair that you have to voice your every thought. Why don't we try something to impede your speaking ability until the potion wears off?"** Lily leaned towards him and stood up on the tips of her toes, since he was tall and lanky enough to make her seem short in comparison. She angled her head to prevent them from bumping noses and kissed him, like a traveler in a desert who discovered water for the first time, and quenched previously unaknowledged thirst. Lily felt Sev's mouth quickly respond to hers and noted that, with the proper kissing partner, kissing can be an extraordinary experience.

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><p>((<strong>AN:<strong> I wanted to get this posted in time for the birthday JK. Rowling has set for Severus, because, honestly, I don't think I could give him a better birthday pressie than allowing for him to snog Lily. I hope those of you who read this chapter enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Writing this chapter was a challenge, but I'm happy with what I have. Please review this if you read it, and be sure to let me know what you think of my useage of the potion!))


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